Method and means for building and testing tubular frames



Jail. 15, 1924.

A. D. MEISELBACH METHOD AND MEANS FOR BUILDING AND TESTING TUBULAR FRAMES Filed April 25 1920 4 Sheds-Sheet 1' Jan. 15, 1924. 2,480,777 r v A.D. MEISELBACH METHOD AND MEANS FOR BUILDING AND TESTING TUBULAR FRAMESFiled April 26 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 'Jan. 15, 192

- A. D. MEISELBACH METHOD AND mums Ron BUILDING AND TESTINGTUBULAKFRAMES 1 Filed April 26. 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet s Jan. 15

A. D. MEISELBACH METHOD AND MEANS FOR BUILDING AND TESTING TUBULARFRAMES 4- Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed- ADril 26 1920 Patented J an. 15,1924, 1

' UNITED STATES PA ENT orr ce. v

AUGUST D. MEISELBACH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MARGARET HEISEL-BACK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS;

METHOD AND MEANS FOR BUILDING AND TESTING TUBULAB FRAMES.

Application filed'April 26, 1920. Serial No. 876,561.

lar or hollow connections and pieces of tub ing, the tubing fitting andjoined to the connections and secured thereto by brazing or otherwise.They usually consist of a number of pieces of tubing'either' straight orcurved and arranged at various angles.

The practice heretofore has been to arrange the tubes and connections intheir desired j relations and by means of pins or the like hold thetubes and connections together while the joints were brazed. It has beencommon practice to make different sections of the frame at differenttimes and then assemble the several sections together and join them asdescribed above. As my invention has so far been developed for thepractical purpose of reducing the cost and increasing the accuracy ofresults in the building of bicycle frames, I shall describe my inventionin reference thereto, but it should be understood that my invention isnot thus limited. v A bicycle frame when completed, should be exactlysymmetrical upon the two sides of a central vertical longitudinal plane,or the finished bicycle will not be true or hold the several parts;viz., the wheels, et cetera in proper alignment or, relative positions.

For instance the centerdine of the head connection should be in theplane with the clamped rlgidly securing them together b some metalizingprocess as by'spot wel for therear wheel should be accurate y parallelin position and at equal the center plane. l

In the common process of making frames the parts are made up of theproper dimendistances from necessitating, in a sions and assembled andsecured'as already described, the frame and its parts being inspected atthe several steps as to alignment and symmetry, but no assurance is hadthat the final results will be accurate in the symmetrical framedesired. This is but illustrative of the necessity which now exists ofbending, springing or otherwise adjusting the several parts to causethem to lie approximately in their true positions. All of these varioussteps require-the employment of highly skilled labor, but even I so, theresults are not satisfactory I,

The bending and adjusting of the" frame produces more or less noticeabledepressions, kinks or bends and it is usually necessary to fill these deressions with solder, actory building two hundred frames a day at leastthree men to do the soldering. All of this work' and expense is theresult of imperfect work and does not add anything of real merit to theresult and should not be necessary.

Furthermore when it comes to assembling the frame with wheels, etcetera, it is necessary again to bend and space the various forks tocause the wheels to stand true therein, all of which detracts from theappearance of the machine and adds greatly with solder, or othersuitable filling material. 1

My invention resides in a method of arranging the several connectionsand frame parts or sections in assembled relation, clamping themtightly. together in accurate alignment and symmetry and while thus ing,either electric or acetylene.

. he frame thus having all of its parts 'rigidl joined, itsseveraljoints are complete preferably by being dipped into melted brazingmaterial. The frame is then finished having all of the parts cleaned ofall superfluous metal, the several openin are accurately. machined andthen it is fpdlaced in a testing machine, whichmay 'ing open cracks ofvarious sizes to be filled I tube usually lies within at least one-six-.

nal central plane of the frame. If it does not lie accurately in thisplane it is sprung.

to one sideor the other until it does. In building frames in accordancewith my present invention, I find that the seat post teenth of an inchof its trueposition. After adjusting the seat post tube accurately, adowel pin is placed therein to hold it in its true position while thehead connection is tested and adjusted. The head connection is tested bya shaft or mandrel held centrall I in the head connection on collarswhich t the end of the head which have been machined for the ballbearing cups. This shaft projects above and below the head and I rovideslotted members for enement w1th the shaft, said members havm theircenter lines arranged in said longitu inal central plane and beingmovable horizontally therein from and toward the vshaft. The slottedends of these members are adapted to receive the shaft and whenthe headlies in its true position the slotted members can be moved toward theshaft and the shafhwill slide freely intotheslots therein. -o

When the vU-shaped testing members can laced upon the projecting ends ofthe shai -t freely, the head then lies accurately in said centrallongitudinal plane.

The next step is to test the rear forks; I provide a horizontal testmandrel or sh ft aving shoulders properly spaced and havingitslongitudinal center in the said central longitudinal :plane and-movable,'as a whole,

back and forth relativel to the rear forks. This member is provide withbosses on its end fittin easily into. the slots of the rear forks anwhen the member slides easily into both the rear forks and the innersides of the forks lie snugly against the adjacent facesof the endcollars or shoulders the forks are true with the. balance of the frame.

A full and complete understanding of my invention will be attained fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawin forming part of this specification and in w ich I haveillustrated a machine which vI have found best adapted for the practiceof my invention.

In said drawings,

Figure 1 vis aside elevation of a machine especial? adapted for clampinthe several parts 0 a .Jhicycler frame in t eir proper related"positions and then holding them ri 'dly' in said positions while theseveral ,joints are spot-welded, a bicycle frame being shown held inclamped position;..

2 upon which the several j Figure 2 is atop plan view of said machineand bicycle frame;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 3--3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section on the lined- 1 of Figure1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary substantially horizontal section on the line55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary substantially horizontal section on the line6-6 of Figure l;

Figure isa fragmentary vertical section of the seat post.connectionportion on the line 7- -7 of Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary vertical section of the connection at thelower end ofthe seat post tube;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary side elevation of the rear-part of the bicycleframe and the adjusting head; v

Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevgtion of the rear fork andthe adjusting hea Figure 11 is a fragmentary plan view of the rear forkand the adjusting head;

Figure 12 is a fragmentary vertical section substantially on the line12-42 of- Fi re 9;

' igure 13 is a side elevation of a machine especially adapted fortesting and adjusting the bicycle frame after the several joints havebeen finished, a bicycle frame being shown as fitting properly in saidmachine;

Figure 14 is a plan view of the machine and frame shown in Figure 13;and

1 Figure -15 :is a fragmentary side elevation of the forward chine and abicyc e frame, the

frame shown partly in section.

art of the finishing m'a-- In said drawings, 1 represents a machine inwhich the several parts of a bicycle frame are adapted. to bepositioned, aligned,

clamped and held until the several parts have been secured rigidlytogether as by I spot-welding or the like.

This machine comprises an elongated base arts are mounted. At thecentral portion of the base- 2 is arranged two oppositely ositionedstandards 3 and 4.. The standard 3" is relatively low and carries atransversely adjustable shaft 5 in a threaded bearing 6. Theinner end of,the shaft carries a doweling head 7 adapted to fit within oneiend ofthe crank case connection 8 of a bicycle frame. The outer end of theshaft 5 carries a hand wheel 9 by which the head 7 can be forced in toclamp a crank 'case or withdrawn to free it. v

The opposite standard 4 is considerably higher than the standard 3 andis high enough to rise above the seatpostconnection 10 of aibicycleframe 11 placed in the machine. Projecting from the base of the standard4 is a doweling head 12 similar on its free end and disposed opposite tothe head 7 and in axial alignment .therewith. This head 12 is.preferablyfixed' and its shoulder 13 which contacts with the opposedend of the crank case 8 is arranged exactly one-half'the length of thecrank case from the central longitudinal plane of the machine so thatwhen the crank case is clamped between the shoulder 13 on the head 12and the corresponding shoulder 14 on the head 7 the crank case will bepositioned with its transverse central plane in the longitudinal planeofthe machine.

The upper end of the standard 4 has secured thereto a projection 15provided with .a vertical threaded opening 16 in which a threaded shaft17 is mounted and which is adapted to be moved up and down by a handwheel 18 on its upper end. The

' center line of the shaft 17 lies in the longitudinal central plane ofthe machine and said center line extended will cross the center line ofthe crank case at the transverse center point thereof as both lie in thelongitudinal central plane of the machine.

The lower end of the shaft 17 is provided with a shoulder 19 adapted tocontact with the upper face of the seat ost connection 10 of the bicycleframe and it is provided with a central doweling'projection 21 fittingwithin the, seat post connection and adapted to center and to hold thispoint of the bicycle frame truly in the longitudinal central plane ofthe machine.

The crank caseconnection 8 is provided with a transverse central nozzle22 in its upper side adapted to receive and position what is known as afishtail bushin 28 adapted to project through and beyon A the nozzle 22'andto receive the lower end of the seat post tube 24 and accuratelydowel and hold it on the crank case connection 8. The outer diameter ofthe nozzle 22 and the seat post tube '24 are substantially the same andwhen the seat post tube is placed upon the fishtail dowel23 and it isforced against the crank case connection its lower end contacts with theouter end of the nozzle 22.

To connect the seat post tube 24 with the seat post connection 10 it isusual to provide a tubular bushing-25' for placement with the connection10 which has an internal diameter suitable for the seat post of thebicycle. The lower end of this tubular bushing 25 receives, centers anddowels the upper end of the seat post tube 24; i

The seat post connection 16 is provided with a central nozzle 10 on itslower side in which the tubular bushing 25 fits and against the outerendof which the upperend of the seat post tube 24 isadapted to contact.In using the machine for aligning the parts of the bicycle frame theseveral parts may be heads 7 and 12. Then the frame is positionedso thatthe dowel 21 on the shaft 17 can be entered into the open top of theseat post connection. Then the crank case is clamped tightly between theheads 7 and 12 thus accurately centering the crank case and afterwardthe shaft 17 is screwed down to force the end of the seatpost tube 24into tight contact at each end with the adjacent shoulders. The pressureon the seat post tube is longitudinal thereof and sufficient pressurecan be applied to tightl close the joints between the ends, of the tuand the adjacent shoulders so that there are substantially no cracksleft at these points to be filled with solder after the joints have beenbrazed.

Besides the crank case, the seat post connection and the vertical seatpost tube 24 the'bicy'cle frame consists of a head con nection 26, anupper tubular bar 27 conmeeting the upper end of the head with the seatpost connection, a lower tubular bar 28 connecting the lower part of theconnection with the crank case, which together canstitutes the forwardpart of the frame and a rear part or section ofthe frame. rear art ofa'bicycle frame consists of two side rames each comprising an uppertubular bar 29 and the lower tubular bar 30.

These bars are connected to ether at theirrear ends by the rear wheeslotted plate the two lower members 30. These spacers are arranged asuitable distance from the center of the rear wheel of the bicycle toserve as sup rts for the rear mud guard and as usua ly arranged they areplaced just beyond the periphery of the rear wheel.

The

The forward end of the tubular bar too ' My method includes thecentering of these braces and consequently the members 29 and 30 as Wellas the various extremities of the several parts of the bicycle frame. 7For centering and aligning the head connection 26 and forcing thetubular bars 27 and 28 to tight. shoulder fits at theirends I provide astandard 34 rising from the for- Ward end of the base 2 and carrying twovertically spaced horizontally extending mem- I bers 35 and 36.

The u per member 35 is provided wlth a substantially vertical opening 37and the lower memberv 36 is provided with a similar opening 38. Theseopenings are in axial alignment and in inclined relation to the verticalat the same angle as the head connection 26 is inclined to the verticalwhen the seat post tube 24 is set vertical, as in the machine, that iswith the upper end farther from the seat post tube than the lower end.Theopening 37 in the upper member is larger than the lower opening 38 toreceive a clamping cam shaft 39. The lower end 40-of the shaft 39 fitsthe smaller opening 38 and the upper end 41 fits in the larger opening37. The middle portion 42 of the shaft is formed eccentric to the axialcenter line of the shaft as best shown in. Figures 1 and 5 and isadapted to force the head connection 26 rearwardly toward the seat posttube when the shaft is rotated to the position shown in Figure 3, whereits cam extends from the rear side of the shaft.

The head 26 is provided with two rearwardly extending nozzles 43 and 44to be connected respectively to the upper frame bar 27 and the lowerframe bar 28. These nozzles are of the same external diameter as thebars 27 and 28 and to strengthen the joints between the head and thebars,each nozzle is provided with a fishtail bushing 45 similar to thebushing 23 used in joining the seat post tube 24 to the crank case 8.

Each of the bushings 45 is provided with flanges or partial flanges 46on their inner ends which are adapted to lie in contact with the innersurface of the cylindrical portion of the head 26 and to be brazedthereto when the joint is finished. These fishtail bushings are enteredinto the nozzles 43 and 44 and then the partial flanges or projectionsare spread out and formed to conform with the inner surface of the head26. The outer ends of the nozzles 43 and 44 are trued up, and as thesheet metal of which the cracks which have to be filled with solderafter the brazing operation.

. The rear end of the upper tubular bar 27 isreceived upon and centeredby the nozzle 48 formed on the seat post connection and the rear end ofthe lower tubular bar 28 is receive d and centered. by one of. thefishtail bushings 45 carried in a suitable contral nozzle 49 and formedout of the wall of the crank case 8. a

1 Usually the bicycle frame is brought to the machine with the severalarts assembledand loosely held in assem led condition, and after thesecuring of the vertical bar 24 in place as described the shaft 39 isinserted through the openings 37 and 38 and through the head 26 with theprojecting side of the middle or cam portion 42 of the shaft projectingtoward the standard Then by rotating the shaft the cam portion is turnedtoward the rear and is forced against the flanges 46, forcing them intoclose contact with the inner wall, of the head 26 and forcing the head,as a whole, toward the seat post tube 24. In this clamping process thetubes 27 and 28 are clamped endwise tightly between the shoulders on theseveral connections and the bushings 45 in the head connection areforced tightly into position. To hold the several fishtail bushings 45in the crank case 8 against being pushed into the connection during theoperation of forcing the several tubes into ti ht contact with saidconnection I preferably insert a cylindrical plug 50 which fits tightlyenough Within the hollow crank case to prevent the inward movement ofthe several bushings.

To hold the head connection from being forced sidewise out of the truevertical central longitudinal plane of the machine when the eccentricshaft 37 is rotated to force the head and bushings rearwardly I providea slotted guide member 51 having a slot 52 fitting the sides of the headcon nection 26 and mounted on the standard 34 for movement back andforth.

The slot extends exactly vertical and central as related to the centralvertical plane of the machine so that as the eccentric portion 42 of theshaft 37 is rotated to clamp the frame parts the head 26 is held againstsidewise "movement out of its true central position.

It should be understood that the function of" the eccentric or cam shaft37 will be effective if the rear ends of tubular bars 27 and 28 are heldstationary properly spaced whether by being entered upon the dowels uponthe two connections or otherwise, at least so far as the production ofthe tight joints between the head connection and the tubular bars isconcerned. In other'words the method which I have devised of clampingthe'head upon the upper and lower bars is new and useful in andof'itself whether combined with the added function of setting the rearends of the tubular bars on the other connections or not.

Having properly clamped the head connection an the upper and lower barsas described upon the seat post connection, and the crank caseconnection the next step is to position and clamp the rear parts of theframe. I v

The rear side frames which each consists of an upper bar 29, a lower bar30, and a rear wheel slotted connection 31 are first assembled, Theconnection 31 is usually shown at 56, Figure 11,. by means of a suit-'able round ended punch. The side frames are brought to the machine thusassembled and the forward end of the upper tube 29 is placed upon asuitable doweling projection 57 formed-upon the seat post connection 10.The seat post connection is provided with two of these projections. 57one for each of the u per tubes 29 and slightly spread apart so t atthey can be drawn toether to properly clamp a seat post which ts withinthe seat post bushing 25. The bushing 25 has a longitudinal slit or cut58 connecting with the space between the lugs or the projections 57 sothat it can be compressed upon the seat post. The forward ends of thebars 29 are thus brought close together while the rear ends are spacedapart in position to receive the rear axle of the rear wheel betweenthem. The forward ends of the lower bars are received and properly fixedupon suitable dowels 59 on the crank? case 8'. These dowels 59 areformed of the fishtail bushings which are mounted withinsuitable hollowbosses or projections 60 projecting from the crank case, and spaced thesame distance laterally" from the longitudinal central plane of theframe.

To properl space and set the rear ends of the rear si e frames, that isthe rear wheel slotted plates 31, I provide a transverse 'shaft 61having fixed collars 62 at its ends,

"on the rear axle.

diaetrically arranged projections the outer faces of said collarsforming shoulders which are spaced apart the same as and simulate thefixed collars or bearings at the ends of the rear wheel hub and carriedUpon these shoulders .are

shown b section lining in Figure 10, which substantially fill the slots64 for the rear axle in theconnections 31. Centrally upon theprojections 63 I provide the shaft member 61, threaded projections 65extending axially of the shaft 61,- for receiving clampin nuts 66 bywhich the plates 31 can be tightly clamped against the collars 62. Whenso clamped the plates 31 are arranged with their slots 64 exactlyparallel with each other. I mount the member 61 in a horizontal positionin a bore 67 provided in a block 68 which in turn is mounted inavertical opening 69 provided in -a longitudinally movable head member70. 5 Y

This head70 is carried on a shaft 71 a1;-

ranged longitudinally of the machine and extending horizontally and isheld against transverse movement in true vertical position byprojections or flanges 72 which engage the parallel sides 73 of a guidemember 74 mountedon the base 1 of the machine a the rear end thereof.

The guide member 73 is provided'with a standard 75 'at its forward endand a similar standard 76 at its rear end and in which the shaft 71 isrotatably mounted. The shaft is screw threaded between said standardsand the head is provided with a threaded opening for receiving the same.The shaft is held against longitudinal movement by a collar 77 whichbears against the rear end of the standard 76 and a similar collar 78which bears against the forward side of the standard 75. The shaft isprovided with a hand wheel 79 on its rear end by which it can be rotatedto move the head 70 and the member 61 back and forth. The member 61 isarranged and held with the outer surfaces of the two collars 62 the samedistance from the vertical central longitudinal plane of the machine sothat when the plates 31 are clamped upon same they are spread equallyfrom the central plane of the machine.

In assembling a frame the slotted plates 31 are clamped upon the ends ofthe member 61 against the outer surfaces of the collars 62 by the nuts66. The forward ends of the bars 29 and 30 are then entered upon theirrespective doweling projections and the head with the member 61 ispushed forward by the screw shaft 71 untilthe several ends of the tubesare pressed firmly into contact with the opposing shoulders on theconnections 8 and 10.

One importantfeature of my method and machine resides in the accuracy ofthe-spacing of the rear slotted plates 31 for the rear wheel from thecenter of the crank case 8 which, of course, determines the spacing ofthe crank shaft and the axle of the rear wheel. amount of adjustment ofthe rear axle in the slotted plates for the wear of the chain is limitedand must be so arranged that the removal or addition of one link inthejusual one-inch pitch chain, now commonly used, will cause anadjustment of the rear shaft within the available adjustment provided byThis feature is important as the the slottedplates. In other wordshaving decided on the chain to be used and the dimensions of the bicycleframe, the crank such spacing. This is accomplished by pro:

vid' a projection, 80 on't-he forward end of the head 70-wh1ch isadapted to contact a head 70 fittin between parallel vertical walls 82.This is or the purpose of permitting the rear ends of the shaft toadjust themthe limiting shoulders.

selves slightlyvertically so that both the lower rods 30 and the upperrods 29 shall be properly clamped tightly endwise between In using themachine, having set in the side frames as described it is only necessaryfor the worlman to turn the hand wheel 7 9 and force the head 70 as farforward as it will go, that is with the projections 80 and 81 incontact. At this time all of the side bars 29 and30 should be tightlybound between the centering shoulders. If they are not thus bound thenthere has been a mistake made in preparing some of the parts. i

As the side bars 29 and 130 of the rear frame are curved and inclinedlaterally .their rear ends being spread farther apart than their forwardends, it is necessary. to pro erly position and space these bars and holthem in such spaced relation relatively to the rim of the rear wheel.For the spacing of these bars I provide U-shaped strut until the severaltubes and the several connections are permanently joined togethermembers 83 and 84 which simulate somewhat the shape of the upper 'andlower parts of the rear frames. he member 83 is adapted to lie withinthe side bars 29 which form the upper rear fork and the member 84:

is adapted to lie between the side bars 30 of the lower part of the rearframe. E ch of these members is pivotally mounted on i 87 on the up theforward part of the head 70 on suitable bolts 85 and 86 respectively.These members are somewhat shorter than the space between the sidebarsand each is provided with a forward central doweling projection r memberand 88 on the lower member. T e forward'portions 89 and 90 of thesemembers fit tightly between the bars 29 and 30 respectively atsubstantially the point where the rim and tire of the rear 'wheel willbe positioned, so that when the frame is properly clamped in the machinethese forward ends of the 'U-shaped strut members 83 and 84 properlyspace the side bars of the rear part'of the bicycle frame apart.

To permanently hold the side bars 29 and 30 I provide tubular braces orsupports 32 for the upper fork and 33 for the lower fork. The-brace 32is received between the two bars 29 at thepoint where they are bent into draw them together to correspond with the projections on the seatpost connection upon which they are doweled and similarly the brace 33is placed between theforward end of the bars 30 where they are means thecrank case 8. The tubular strut 32 is provided with a central opening 93to receive a small doweling projection 94: on the projection 87 carriedby the U-shaped member 83 and similarly the strut 33 is provided with asmall central hole 95 to receive a small projection 96 on the projection88 carried by the U-shaped memberS.

In assembling the frame on the machine the tubular strut braces 32 and33 are placed are forced tightly between the side bars of.

the rear forks. The doweling o enings 93 and 94 in said tubular bracesing centrall arranged and the projections upon whic they are mountedbeing1 centrally 'ar- 4 ranged. relatively to the mac ine, the centeringof the side bars of the ream/fork is assured.

Having tightly clam d the sdweral members of the frame in t e machine,they are all held in such. tightly clamped position by spot welding orby other suitable means. Preferably they are joined by means of anoxyacetylene welding torch the welding particularl joinin the en s ofthe tubes to the hea connection 26, th seat post connection 10, thecrank case connection 8, and the rear fork connection 31, as indicatedon the several drawings by the weld spots 96.

Besides the welding of the parts together.

.parts into their desired positions.

It'sometimes occurs that in assembling the tubes and connections it isnecessary to spring the tubes to cause their end to receive the dowelingparts. This results frominaccuracy in the production of the dowels or intheir insertion in the connec tions. In any event the heating of the endportions of the tubes and the doweling connections relieves all strainsso that when the frame is relieved of the clamping pressure 4 in themachine there is no tendency for the various parts to spring out oftheir true:

positions. I V

Having thus temporarily and rigidly con-I nected the several parts ofthe rams togather intheir true positions as determined by the machine,the frame is next removed from the machine and the several connectionsare completed and made permanent by suitable brazing operations, such asby dipping the several connections into melted lars and then the frameis tested as to its.

exact trueness or correctness in a machine which is similar tothemachine .in which the several parts were clamped and set aspreviously described.

While it would be possible to test the frame thus completed in themachine as already described, I' preferably provide a machine especiallyadapted for this testing operation, which machine I have illustrated inFigures 13, 14 and 15.

In describing the testing machine and its operation I will firstdescribe the differences between the testing machine and the settingmachine which are especially adapted to facilitate the testingoperations.

Instead of the means for clamping the head by forcing itrearwardly Iprovide simple means for testing the alignment or position of the head26. Instead of the threaded shaft 71 and head. for clamping the rearpart of the frame, I provide a similar head which is freely movablelongitudinally of the machine for testing the posi-- tions of the rearslotted plates 31, and instead of the screw threaded clamping shaft 17at the upper end of the standard 4 I provide a testing member which canbe freely lifted u and down in a guide bracket for testing t 1e positionof the seat post connec'- tion. In place of the cam shaft 37 I provide astraight shaft 97 longer than the head 26' and adapted to be centeredtherein by dowcling caps 98 at the lower end and 99 at the upper end.The collar 98 is fixed on the shaft 97 and the collar 99 is removabletherefrom-and is adapted to be locked in vposition on the shaft andagainst the upper end of the head 25 by means of a locking pin 100projecting laterally from the shaft 97 and an L-shaped slot 101 in theperiphery of the collar 99. As-best shown in Figure '15'the collar 98.is rovided with a doweling projection 102 fitting within the lower endof the head 26 and the removable collar 99 is provided with a similardoweling pro; jection 103 fitting within the upper end of the head 26 sothat 'when the shaft is clamped in the head it stands in centralposition in relation to the head 26.

For centeringthe crank case 8,upon the of the several openings for themachine I provide exactly the same centering devices as used in theclamping machine, viz: the fixed doweling head 12 and the transverselymovable doweling head 7, and in placing the bicycle frame in the testingmachine I first clamp the crank case between these two heads by means ofthe screw threaded shaft 5 which carries the movable head 7.

Having thus clamped the crank case in the machine it is now merelynecessary to test the several extremitieshof the frame to find outwhether they lie in their'true and proper relation to the centralvertical longitudinal plane of the testing machine. In

this process of testing I first test the seat 7 post connection 10 andfor this purpose instead of the screw threaded clamping shaft 17 Iprovide a shaft 104 which is mounted in vertical position with its axislying accurately in the central longitudinal plane of the machine andwhich is slidable up and down in a bearing 105 carried by the-upper endof the standard 4 and provided on its lower end with a doweling pin 106whicn accurately fits in the seat post opening. For convenience inoperation I provide a supporting pin 107 rojecting laterally from theshaft 104 an I provide an upwardly projecting nozzle 108 on the bearing105 upon which the projection 107 can rest with the lower end 'of theshaft 104 free of the bicycle frame and provided with a vertical slot109 in which said projection 107 is re ceived when it is desired to dropthe shaft with the (loWel106 in the seat post opening of the bicycleframe. At the time that the frame is first clamped in the testingmachine the shaft 104 is raised and supported in raised position by theprojection 107 resting upon the top of the nozzle 108. After the frameback and forth until the seat post connection is aligned transverselywith the dowel and then if the dowel enters the seat post opening theframe is true, but if the seat post opening stands to one side or theother the frame is sprung or forced side,- wise until it standsaccurately beneath the shaft 104 and so that the dowel 106 will freelydrop into the seat post opening. When this occurs it is known that theseat post connection lies aecuratelysin .the central longitudinal planeof the frame.

Having adjusted the frame so that the dowel 106 will drop freely intothe seat post opening I then proceed to test the accuracy i and lowerends respectively of the shaft 97.

These heads are mounted upon longitudinally moving shafts 112 and 113respectively carried in horizontal bearings provided in the standard 34.Each of these heads is U-shaped, as best shown in Figure 14, and

adapted to be moved back and forth from and toward the frame to engagethe ends of the shaft 97. These heads are at first in withdrawnpositions, as shown in dotted lines. The U-shaped slots 11% are madewide enough to span the shaft 97 and in testing upon the ends of theshaft then the forward end of the bicycle frame is adjusted by forcingthe head one way or the other, or twisting the frame until the heads 110and 111 will slide freely upon the ends of the shaft 97 into theposition shown in full lines in the drawing, at which time it is knownthat the head 26 lies acrurately inthe central longitudinal plane of theframe. The next point to test is the position and relation of the rearpart of the bicycle frame. This is accomplished by means of a head 115similar to the head 70 and slidable back and forth on a member 116similar to the memher 7 3. Instead of the screw threaded shaft 71 forforcing the head forward and back, I provide a guide shaft 117 whichsupports and guides the head 115 accurately. The head 115is providedwith a vertically movable block 118 similar to the block 68 and whichcarries a member similar to the member 61, simulating the rear axle andhub of the rearwheel of the bicycle, having shoulders 119 similar to theouter faces of the collar 62 on the member 61 for accurately spacing therear slot-ted members 31 apart,

"and the member 61 is provided with diametrically extending projectionssimilar to the projections 63 on the member 61 for entering and testingthe positions of the slots in the members 31.

In testing the rear portions of the bicycle frame the head 115 is movedforward on the shaft 117, first to test-the accuracy of the transversepositions of the slotted plates 31 and when these lie accurately againstthe shoulders 119, then the diametrical doweling projections are enteredinto the slots in the plates 31 to test the accuracy of their beingparallel with ear-h other. When the head 115 can be moved forwardly andthe testing projections entered freely into the slots in the plates 31with the inner sides of the plates 31 in contact with the-shoulders 119,

then it is determined that the rear forks are accurately spaced,uniformly from the longitudinal central plane of the frame and the andadapted to contact with the projection 3 51 when the'block 115 is at theextreme forwardlimit of its movement, thus testing the accuracy of thespacing of the crank case 8 from the position of the axle of the rearwheel, whereby it is known that a certain,

length of chain can be used and will accurately fit upon the gear wheeland sprocket of the machine when assembled and bring the adjustment ofthe rear axle within the length of the slots in the plates 31 in theremoval or addition of a link, asthe chain needs adjustment in the useof the machine.

For testing the points 90 on the rear forks as to their exact spacingfrom the center plane of the frame, I provide two testing forks 121mounted .7 in the testing machine and similar to the U-shaped members 84on the clamping machine. 'lthese testing forks 121' are each rovidedwith a transversely arranged ca ipering rod 122 at its free end, theends of the rod 122 adapted to just pass the inner sides of the adjacentrear fork sides when the testing forks are swung up and down. The endsof the-rods 122 are set equidistant from the center plane of the frameand the rods are the proper length to test the spacing of the rearforks;

Having thus tested and adjusted the frame to lie with its longitudinalvertical plane accurately in the longitudinal vertical plane of themachine the frame is then removed from the machine and is ready to befinishedby the usual enameling process, and it is known that when theframe is assembled with the other parts of the bicycle to form thecomplete bicycle every part and portion thereof will be in pro eralignment and relative position and wil not need to be adjusted in suchassembling.

As many modifications of my invention will readily suggest themselves toone skilled in the art I -do not limit nor confine my invention to theseveral specific steps or sequence of steps of the several s e'cificconstructions herein described and siown.

I claim: 1 a

1. The herein described method of build ing tubular frames whichconsists in clamping one part of the frame provided with means fordoweling tubular parts thereon" in a 'fixed position, setting theremainingconnections in positions relative to said fixed connection,with tubularconnectingparts arranged between said connections, thenforcing said remaining connections towards the fixed connection totightly clamp the intervening tubes and while the several parts of theframe are thus-clamped, rigidly N and permanently securing the severalconnections to the several tubes so that when the connections arerelieved of pressure the several parts will remain rigid in their truefixed connection to tightly clamp the intermediate tubes and holdingthem centrally relativel .to said longitudinal central plane, and whi ethe several-parts of the frame are thus clamped, rigidly and permanentlysecuring the several connections to the several tubes so that whentheconnections are re lieved of pressure the several parts will remainrigid in their true relative positions.

3. The herein described method of building tubular frames consisting oftubular parts joined to a hollow connecting part, which consists inloosely doweling-the t'ubular parts upon th-e'connection, fixing theopposite ends of said tubular parts in their true relative positions,and forcing the connection in the general direction of the fixed ends ofthe tubular parts to close the joints between the tubular parts and thehollow connection, and while the parts are thus held, rigidly weldingthe hollow connection to the tubular parts.

4. The herein described method of connecting a hollow connectingmemberto two tubular parts extending'from one side there;

of which consists in providing the hollow member with connectingnozzles, placing doweling tubes in said nozzles having v flangedprojections extending within the hollow connection, placing tubularmembers on said doweling tubes, fixing the free ends of the tubularparts in their true relative positions, then applying pressure to theflanged ends ofthe doweling tubes and forcing said flanges against theinner surface of the hollow connections and the hollow connection in thegeneral direction of the.

' fixed ends of the tubular parts to close the joints between thetubular parts and the nozzles, and while the parts are thus clamped.producing motalized connections,

between t enozzle and the tubular parts.

5. The herein described method of building a tubular frame whichconsists of a sub.-

stantially central connection and end connections and tubular partsjoining the. connections, which method consists in loosely assemblingthe several parts of the frame, v

clamping the central connections rigidl in deslred positions relativelyto a central ongitudinal plane, then forcing the several otherconnections towards the said central connection with the several tubularparts interposed and while forcing said several connections toward thecentral connection, holding all of said connections in their desiredpositions relatively to said central longitudinal plane of-the frame tobe produced, and when the several other connections have been forcedtoward the central connection to tightly clamp the tubes, producingmolecular connection between the tubes and the several connections forrigidly retaining the parts in their several related positions.

6, Theherein described method of build-- ing a tubular bicycle frameconsisting of a hollow crank case, a hollow head, a hollow seat postconnection, slotted rear wheel connections and tubular membersconnecting the several connections, which method consists in clampingthe crank case with its transverse center plane in a given plane,setting the head in said given plane with the tube arranged between thehead and the crank case, setting the seat post'connection in said planewith a tube arranged between the crank case and the seat postconnection,

and another tube arranged between the seat post connection and the head,setting slotted plates for the rear wheel axle parallel to each otherand at equal distances from said given plane and interposing tubularconnections between said slotted plates and the. a

crank case, and between said slotted plates and the seat postconnection, holding the head connection and the seat post connection 1nsaid central longitudinal plane and .the slotted connections at the rearin the said positions relative to said plane and forcing all of saidconnections toward said fixed crank case and forcing the head and saidslotted connection toward the seat post connection to clamp all of thetubes en'dwise between the several connections and while thus clamped riidly securing said tubes at their ends to t e several connections bywelding. v

7. The herein described method of centering and spacing the rear, sideframes of a bicycle frame in the manufacture thereof which consists inholding the crank case connection and the seat post connection in fixedpositions relatively to each other and y with their transverse centerplanes in a given lane, arranging the slotted connec-' tions or the rearwheel axle at equal distances from said plane and parallel toeach otherand with suitable tubes joining said slotted connections to thecrankcase and seat post connections, then applying pressure to saidslotted connections to force them forwardly toward the crank case andtoward the seat post connection to firmly clamp the said, tubes endwise'between the connections, arranging a separator between the two u pertubes at the point just beyond that w ich will be occupied by the rearwheel tire and a similar spacer between the lower bars 7 and forcingsaid tubular connections between the upper and lower bars, then permanently connecting all of the side tubes to the rear slottedconnectionathe lower tubes to the crank case, the upper tubes" to theseat post connections and the hollow braces to the "upper and lowertubes respectively,

s. In a machine of the kind described, 'means for holding the rear endsof the upper and lower bars of the forward endof a bicycle frame inproper relative position, and

means for forcing the .head connection toward said rear ends to clampsaid head upon said tubes.

9. A-machine for building bicycle frames l having a central longitudinalplane, means for clamping the crank case 'Wlth itstransvverse centerplane in'said central .plane of the machine, means for holdingtheseatpost connection with its center in the said central plane, means forholding the head of the bicycle frame centrally in relation to said-center plane, means for forcing the seat post connection toward thecrank case, means for forcing the head connection in the generaldirection of the seat post and the crank case to cause the'tubes of thebicycle frame to be tightly clamped endwise, while the severalconnections are retained in said central plane and to be retained insuch position while being permanently joined as by weld- 10. A machinefor building bicycle frames having means for rigidly clampingthe crankconnection in a given position; with its transverse center plane in thelongitudinal central plane ofthe machine, a head mounted on the machinecarrying a horizontal shaft havin end shoulders equi-distant from saidcentra Y plane'and adapted to receive and space the rear slottedconnections of the bicycle frame, parallelprojections on the twoshoulders for aligning the slots of said rear slotted connections, meansfor clamping the connections against said shoulders, means forpositioning a seat post connection above the'crank connection andcentered onsaid central plane, and means for forcing the said headtoward the crank case to tightly bind tubular members joinin the severalconnections. v v

11, machine for building bicycle fram 1 having means for rigidly clampinthe-crank connection in-a given position wit its trans- 1 .ve'rsecenters. plane in the 10 'tudinal central plane of the machines eadmounted achine carrying ahorizontal shaft income space the rear' slottedconnections of the bicycle frame, parallel projections on the twoshoulders for aligning the slots of the rear connections, means forclamping the connections against said shoulders, means for positioning aseat post connection above the crank connection and centered on saidcentral plane, means for forcing the said head toward the crankcasetotightly bind tubular members between the connections and to holdthem vin "such condition, and means carried by the head for centeringthe upper and lower between their en 12. A machine for building havingmeans for rigidly clamping the crank connection in a given position withits trans- "verse center plane in they longitudinal central plane-of themachine, a head mounted in the machine-carrying. a horizontal shaft.

havingend shoulders equi-distant' from said central plane and adapted.to receive: and.

space the rear slotted connections'of'the bicycle frame, parallelprojections on thetwo s oulders for aligning the slots of said rearconnections, means for clamping the connections against said shoulders,means for positioning a seat post connection above the crank connectionand centered, on said central plane, means for forcing the said headtoarts of said -rear.frame'- bicycleframesward the crank case to tightlybind tubular members between the connections, and said horizontal shaftmounted in a floating block carried in a vertical slot in the head sothat as the head is forced forward the shaft can set itself to equalizethe pressure on the upper and lower bars of the frame 12}. A machine forbuilding bicycle frames having means for rigidly clamping the crank casein a given position with its transverse center planein the lon 'tudinalcentral plane of the machine, a sad mounted on the machine carrying ahorizontal shaft having'end shoulders equi-distant from said centralplane and adapted to receive and space the rear slotted connections ofthe bic cle frame, parallel projections on the two 8 oulders foraligning the slots of the rear slo ted connections, means for clampingthe connections against said shoulders, means for positioning a seatpost connection above the crank connection and centered on said centralplane, means for-forcing the said head toward the crank case to tightlybind tubular members between the connections,

said horizontal shaft mounted in a floating block carried in a verticalslot in the head so that as the head is forced forward said shaft canset itself'to equalize the pressure on theupperand lower bars of theframe,

and a stop for limiting the forward movement of said head.

14. A machine for building bicycleframes verse center plane in thelongitudinal contral plane of the machine, a head mounted on the machinecarrylng a horizontal shaft having end shoulders equidistant from saidcentral plane and adapted to receive and space the rear slottedconnections of the, bi-

cycle frame, parallel projections on the two shoulders for alignlng theslots of the said rear connections, .means for clamping the connectionsagainst said shoulders, means for positioning a seat post connectionabove the crank case and centered on said central plane, means forforcing the said head toward the crank case to tightly bind the tubularmembers between the connections, and a stop for limiting the forwardmove'mentcf the'head to .a determined position which shall correctlyspace the crank connection from the slotted connections.

15. The herein described method of buildmg tubular frames which consistsin clamping tubular parts between tubular connections with dowelingmembers joining said parts, then permanently and rigidly joining theends of the tubular members to the connections and dowels by means ofheat and thereby relieving the strains incident to the clampinoperation.

Th s

16. ing tubular frames which consists in compressively clamping tubular'parts between hollow connections with doweling members joining saidparts,'then spot welding the ends of the tubes to the connectionstotemporarily rigidly hold the several parts in their relativerelations, then relieving the arts of compression and brazing theseveral omts.

17. The herein described method of producing rigid tubular structuresconsisting of tubular members joined to tubular connectors by tubulardowels havin flanged heads, which method consists in p acing the tubulardowels with their flanges inside of. the tubular connectors, placing theends of the tubular members on the projecting ends of the dowels, thenforcing thetubular connection toward each other to place the tubularmembers under compression by pressure applied to the flanged ends of thedowels and while the parts are thus held metallically and rigidlyjoining the tubular parts to the connections and dowels.

18. In a machine for. building the rear portion of bicycle frames, means0 clamping the crank case in a fixed position with its transverse centerplane in thelongi- I tudinal central plane of the machine, means .abovethe crank case for positionmg a seat post connection with its verticalcentral plane in the central plane of the machine and for compressivelyclamping the tubular herein described method of buildr rigidlya shaftarranged perplendicularly to the central plane pf the mac ins andhaving-end shoulders equ1d1stant from the'central plane and adapted toreceive and space the rear slotted connections of the frame, tubularmembers between the rear slotted connections and the crank case and seatpost connection the transverse shaft being freely movable bodily up anddown to accommodate itself to the relative length of the connectingtubular members so that when the head is moved to place the tubularmembers under compression the compression will be equalized upon theupper and lower tubes.

19. In a machine for building tubular frames such as bicycle or similarframes having a part comprising two side members joined together at oneend and spaced apart at their opposite ends to receive a wheel betweenthem, fixed means for retaining the joined ends symmetrically inreference to the central plane of the machine, a movable head adapted toreceive and symmetrically position the free .ends of the reference tothe central plane as the head is moved to produce compression upon saidmembers.

20. In a machine for building tubular framessuch as bicycle orjsimilarframes having parts symmetrically arranged in reference'to a centralplane, and comprising a crank case, a seat post connection, a tubejoining said parts, symmetrically formed rear forks extending from thecrank case and seat ost connections and joined together at their rearends by rear wheel supporting plates, means on the machine for settingand holding the crank case with its transverse central place in thecentral plane of the machine, means for forcing the seat post connectiontoward the crank case, a

ice

head longitudinally movable on the machine between same w on the head ismoved forward to set the tubular side members upon the crank case andseat post-connections.

21. In a machine of the kind described,

means for rigidly holding the crank case connection of a cycle frame.ahead adapted, to receive the free ends of the rear fork of the frameand longitudinally movable on the machine forforcing the tubularmemconnection, a member mounted at one end on said head adapted toextend out along said support and to set the side members bers of therear fork toward the crank case r transversely equal distances from thecenpivotally mounted at one ed to be engaged with sides of thefork-between their ends at points adjacent to the periphery of the wheelto be carried thereby and adapted be said sides equally distant from thecentral plane of the machine at said points.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 17th day of April, 1920,

AUGUST ID. MEISELBACH. Witness:

EDWARD FAY WILSON.

